Guide to the Alan K. Manchester Papers, 1905-1975

Alan
K. Manchester (1897-1983) served as a faculty member in the
Department of History at Duke University (1929-1967).
Administrative positions held at Duke include Assistant
Dean of Trinity College (1934), Dean of Freshmen
(1935-1949), Dean of Undergraduate Studies (1949-1956), and
Dean of Trinity College (1956-1964). Manchester also worked
as a cultural affairs officer at the United States Embassy
in Rio de Janeiro (1951-1952) and as a specialist for the
U. S. State Department's International Exchange Service
Program (Summers of 1954-55). Papers include
correspondence, clippings, photographs, slides, and
diaries. Records prior to 1929 pertain to Manchester's
childhood and consist of old report cards, school programs,
and correspondence. Later records reflect Manchester's
activities as a historian, Foreign Service officer, and
administrator. Major subjects include Latin American and
South American history and economic and political relations
between Brazil and Great Britain.

Collection consists of correspondence, clippings,
photographs, slides, and diaries, bulk 1929-1970. Records
prior to 1929 pertain to Manchester's childhood and consist
of old report cards, school programs, and correspondence.
Later records reflect Manchester's activities as a
historian, Foreign Service officer, and administrator

Access Restrictions

Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection.

For a period of twenty-five years from the
origin of the material, permission in writing from the
office of origin and the University Archivist is required for use.
After twenty-five years, records that have been processed
may be consulted with the permission of the University
Archivist.

In off-site storage; 48 hours advance notice is
required for use.

Use Restrictions

Copyright for Official University records is
held by Duke University; all other copyright is retained by
the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants,
as stipulated by United States copyright law.

These records contain letters congratulating
Manchester on his appointment as Dean of Undergraduate
Studies, retirement correspondence, and letters of
appreciation usually from former students or their family
members. Article clippings often concern Manchester's
visits to various Latin American countries as either a
Cultural Affairs Officer (1951-1952) or as a State
Department Specialist (1954 and 1955). Some of these
clippings are in Spanish and Portuguese. Also included are
photographs of Manchester at various stages of life,
construction on Duke's West Campus, and South America.
Other papers consist of some of Manchester's personal
writings and documents (such as passports and report
cards), administrative and professional records (such as
student course evaluations, reviews, and the functions and
origins of the Dean of Undergraduate Studies), and civic
and cultural activities and engagements.

Arranged according to container number, the
slides are images of Portugal, Spain, Europe, Latin
America, Canada, New England, and various parts of North
Carolina. The Latin America slides may have been taken
while Manchester served as a Cultural Affairs Officer in
Brazil (1951-1952) or as a Specialist for the State
Department's International Exchange Service program. The
Canadian slides were most likely taken when Manchester
visited many Canadian universities and colleges while
attending a Commonwealth Studies Conference in the summer
of 1956. In addition to the slides, there exist logs for
most of the slides and diaries of many of the trips. The
logs contain codes for specific images on the slides, and
the diaries are informal records of expenditures, miles
covered, and activities.

Educator, historian, cultural affairs liaison and
consultant, and administrator. Born in Camden, New Jersey
on July 2, 1897. Married Mary Elizabeth Onderdonk on June
28, 1922. Received A. B. from Vanderbilt University (1920),
M. A. from Columbia University (1922), and Ph. D. from Duke
University (1930). Positions held prior to employment at
Duke: Instructor of English, Oklahoma University
(1920-1921), Director, Moore Institute, Campinas, Sao
Paolo, Brazil (1925-1927). Joined Duke faculty as an
instructor in the History department (1929-1935).
Eventually became an assistant professor (1935-1942),
associate professor (1942-1950), and full professor
(1950-1967). Eventually held a Distinguished Service
Professorship at Duke. Administrative positions held at
Duke include Assistant Dean of Trinity College (1934), Dean
of Freshmen (1935-1949), Dean of Undergraduate Studies
(1949-1956), and Dean of Trinity College (1956-1964).
Retired in 1967. Other activities outside Duke University
included cultural affairs officer at the United States
Embassy in Rio de Janeiro (1951-1952), specialist for the
U. S. State Department's International Exchange Service
Program (Summers of 1954-55) and consultant (1956-1958).
Died July 31, 1983 in Durham, N.C.